CaThi Food is a young start-up from Da Nang city. Driven by a passion for local produce, this group of young people from Quang Nam province are striving to create instant Quang Nam-style noodles and canned desserts with distinctive flavors.
From the flavors of home
Born and raised in the ancient town of Hoi An, Truong Van An is familiar with the taste and stories of "che xi ma" (a type of sweet soup) – a dish that followed the Chinese into the urban life of Hoi An. During his years living in Ho Chi Minh City, this young man from Quang Nam province rediscovered that familiar taste within the Chinese community in the south.
“I noticed that the popularity of 'chè xí mà' (a type of Vietnamese sweet soup) is mostly confined to a specific community. The recipe isn't widely known, and the cooking process is much more laborious than other types of sweet soups. Therefore, when we had the idea for a ready-to-eat canned specialty, we researched and found a way to ‘conquer’ 'chè xí mà' first,” An recounted.
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During his years away from home, An sometimes intensely missed the flavors of his homeland. He said, "Countries like Thailand and Singapore promote many local specialties for tourists to buy as souvenirs. Hoi An in particular, and Quang Nam province in general, also have many similar products, such as Quang Nam tea and Quang Nam noodles. Why not find ways to promote them more widely?"
“We are committed to starting and operating our business based on cultural values, applying modern technology to create high-quality culinary products. Behind each product is a story of the culture and life of Quang Nam province that is being preserved.”
Mr. Truong Van An, co-founder of CaThi Food
The challenges in the product development process for CaThi Food lie in cultural factors, distinctive flavors, and food quality and safety standards.
After a period of researching the formula, production technology, sterilization, and investing in equipment and packaging, the facility's first canned instant tea products were launched in early 2024. Unlike many packaged tea products in powder form that are mixed with hot water, CaThi Food's red bean tea is almost like a fresh tea - ready to eat right after opening the box.
Initially, members of CaThi Food invited local residents to experience the product and provide objective feedback. Receiving positive feedback from the Old Quarter community and surrounding areas motivated the young people to further improve the product.
Before the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, Cathi Food launched the first line of instant Quang noodles on the market containing real snakehead fish and real meat. According to him, these products allow the company to continue researching and developing new instant products in the future such as Cao Lau or chicken rice - famous specialties of Hoi An.
Introducing typical rural agricultural products
CaThi Food's ready-to-eat products are gradually improving in quality and design, becoming a popular gift choice for many customers through three main distribution channels: tourist sales points following a "local export" model, distribution in localities nationwide, and the company's online channel with e-commerce stores.
According to Mr. An, Da Nang lacks many local tourism products for tourists to buy and experience in the food sector. The market mainly consists of dried and minimally processed foods, while deeply processed products are almost non-existent. This is a "gap" for young businesses like CaThi Food to find a direction for their products.
Besides the story of the local specialty, the important factor that Mr. An and his colleagues aim for is convenience and safety for the product. The packaged bowls of Quang-style sweet soup and Quang-style noodles can be prepared, heated, and eaten immediately in the shortest time. All products contain no preservatives. The raw materials are also carefully selected, clean, local agricultural products.
CaThi Food's instant black sesame and corn porridge has been recognized by the People's Committee of Quang Nam province (now Da Nang city) as a typical rural agricultural product in 2025.
The instant Quang-style noodles with shrimp, meat, and egg in cans and the instant Quang-style noodles with snakehead fish in cans have been recognized as typical rural agricultural products of Da Nang city in 2025. Images of these products have also appeared in many tourism and cultural events of Da Nang city.
In his story, An mentioned Quang noodles many times. According to him, the instant Quang noodles currently on the market are somewhat similar to instant noodles – made from wheat flour, contrary to the nature of Quang noodles, which are made from rice flour.
Thanks to positive market signals for his canned Quang noodles product line, he expects to supply meals to tourism businesses and restaurants.
Speaking about future plans, Mr. An hopes to secure more capital to improve the production system at his facility; develop a reliable source of raw materials that can withstand natural disasters; and finally, expand his market.
“Being recognized as a typical rural agricultural product gives us more room for development and support from the government to help our products reach a wider market. I hope our products will contribute to representing the dynamic, modern, and developing city of Da Nang, built on its local cultural heritage,” Mr. An shared.
My dream is that one day, Quang noodles can be served to tourists on flights to Da Nang. Beyond that, I aim to improve the product's quality, meeting high standards for export, so that people from Quang Nam, no matter where they are in the world, can enjoy a bowl of their hometown Quang noodles."
Mr. Truong Van An, co-founder of CaThi Food
[VIDEO] - Bringing local specialties to a wider audience using technology:
Source: https://baodanang.vn/dua-dac-san-xu-quang-vuon-xa-3324789.html
![[Image] 500 regional dishes introduced to the people of Ho Chi Minh City and tourists.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/03/27/1774576163392_001-jpg.webp)
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